Right Beside You
by Fan of Mikey
Summary: Something happens to Brian at Babylon, can he handle it? Will he be depending on Michael forever? -Story Completed!
1. Default Chapter

**Right Beside You**  
Alicia and Sage  
**Disclaimer:** We do not own the show QAF or it's characters. We're just borrowing them for a while, we'll promise to put them back. A little more damaged than normal, but only slightly. Characters/settings belong to CowLip, but the generalization of the story belongs to us.  
**Feedback:** It would be greatly appreciated, but no flames if you can help it.  
**Summary:** Strong, unemotional Brian. Something happens to him at Babylon, can he over come this, or will he be dependent on Mikey forever? Takes place before Season 1 finale. Justin is away on a little pre-college trip.  
**Authors' Note:** Story is finally complete!  
  
  
"Come on Ted, they're playin' my song!" Emmett dragged Ted onto the dance floor with a perky wiggle. Ted groaned and mouthed "Help me" to Brian and Michael standing at the bar. 

"Well Ted's having fun." Michael laughed. 

"As usual," Brian said turning around and leaning against the bar, "Some people just dont know how to have fun." He winked at the bar tender. 

"Christ, Brian. Skip a night." Babylon was packed and Brian scanned the room for someone new. 

"Oh, what about him?" Brian pointed toward a man in a white shirt leaning against a pole behind the dance floor. He was very handsom, and surrounded by men. 

"Haven't you already had him?" Michael asked sarcasticly. 

Brian smirked, "I'll see you later." He pushed his beer toward Michael and started toward his newest trick. 

Michael shook his head with a small grin, wondering if Brian was ever going to settle down. He knew it would be a sad day in the gay community if he did. And especially sad for Michael. But he was with David now. He had someone to love him, and take care of him. Still, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to finally be with Brian. The way others night after night were with him. 

"Christ, Mikey, get over it already." he whispered to himself. Finishing up his beer he turned and made his way to the dance floor and fell into place beside Emmett, earning an appreciative nod from Ted who walked away quickly. 

On the otherside of Babylon, Brian was heading towards the guy in the white shirt. He didn't bother to learn their names, he wouldn't remember it anyway. Reaching him, he leaned in and whispered his magic words into the guys ear. Smiling, he grabbed Brian's arm and led him into the backroom. 

That was where the real action happened. The back room. The smell of sex and sweat evaded your nostrils before you even opened the door. It was also an addicts dream. Every kind of drug you could possibly think of made it to your hands as soon as you stepped into the room. 

But Brian didn't want any of that tonight. Sex was his favorite drug. Just the thought of it put him in an ecstacy driven high. He'd been like that since a young age. Even before he'd met Mikey. He always had a need to get off, but always felt incomplete afterwards. 

"So whats your pleasure?" Brian said with a cocky smile. 

"Turn around." The stanger said in a stern voice. 

He turned Brian around and pressed against him. Brian was usually the firm one but he was willing to take the less aggressive role for a change. He kissed down Brian's neck and backed him into the corner of the room. 

"Take your shirt off." The man said in a rough whisper. Brian reached for the bottom of his shirt, but the man, growing impatient, pushed Brian's hands away and pulled his shirt off himself. "Easy big fella-" Brian said becoming concerned at the man's belligerence. He pressed his body against Brian, pushing him into the wall. Suddenly he stopped kissing him. 

"Whats the matter, shoot your wod already?" Brian said looking back with a sarcastic smile. 

"Shut up!" the guy screamed into Brian's ear. "I'm not gay!" He yelled angrily. 

"Better tell that to your dick." Brian said laughing at him. 

"Shut up!" The man grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face into the wall. Nobody in the room was really paying them much attention, and probably wouldn't have helped him anyway. Brian let out a groan as the pain shot through his face. The guy tightened his grip on Brian and pulled his head back, planning on slamming it back into the wall. Brian managed to turn around before he could, and tried to kick the guy in the groin. But the man moved out of the way before he could make contact, and punched Brian in the face with his free hand. 

Blood poured out of his nose as he slid to the ground, wavering in and out of conciousness. The man reared back and kicked Brian in the side, the crack of a rib echoing through his body. The guy reached down, grabbed Brian around the collar and hauled him to his feet. 

"You're the queer!" The stranger screamed into Brian's face, spit landing on his cheeks, mixing with the blood that ran in a steady stream from his broken nose. 

Brian, usually being able to hold his own in such cases, but being too weak from the many beers he downed minutes before, moaned in response. 

*** 

"Emmett!" Michael yelled over the music. 

"Not now baby.. I'm busy." Emmett ran his finger down the chest of a large man in a police uniform. 

"Emmett have you seen Brian?" Michael said worriedly. 

"No. didnt he leave with that guy, like an hour ago?" 

Michael shook his head "No, they were just going to the ba-" Michael could tell Emmett wasn't listening, so he decided to go look for Brian himself. 

Michael scanned the bathroom quickly, yelling Brian's name into the stalls. "Hey!" a man yelled to him. "Are you looking for Brian, Brian Kinney?" 

Michael walked over to the man and nodded. "Yeah do you know him?" 

The man laughed, "Everyone knows Brian." 

"Well have you seen him lately?" Michael said growing impatient. 

"The last I saw he was headed to the back with some guy. There's a shocker," he laughed. 

"Yeah, thanks." Michael groaned. 

As he walked out of Babylon to make his way to the back room, he could hear the sound of men moaning. Michael never went to the back room, unless he was looking for Brian. He hated it, and was always disappointed to find Brian there. 

"Brian!" he yelled waving smoke from his face. "Brian c'mon. I wanna leave." As he neared the center of the room he noticed a small red stain on the floor. "Brian. Brian! Answer me.. I dont like it here and I wanna go." He drew closer to the edge of the room and noticed a small red puddle on the floor. Michael ran to the corner to see what it was, the room was very dark and he couldn't tell if it was blood. 

He leaned over the puddle and realized there was a trail leading to the wall, it was definitely blood. He saw a man at the end of the trail and ran to his side. 

"Someone call 911!" he yelled checking for a pulse. "Someone help me!" The room was packed, but to spite Michael's screams, no one reacted. Suddenly the man put his hand on Michael's arm "Mikey." he said in a soft, faint whisper. Michael raised his chin to look at him. He was completely covered in blood. 

"Brian!?" Michael said beginning to cry. 


	2. Chapter 2

  
Brian awoke with a sharp pain shooting through his body. His eyes focusing on the loft of his apartment, he realized where he was and what had happened to him the night before.   
  
Michael heard his groans as he tried to sit up and came running to him. "Brian, lay down. You don't want to make things worse." He pushed him lightly on the shoulder to get him to lye back. "I know how much you hate hospitals, so we brought you home instead. Do you remember what happened?"   
  
  
"I'll fucking kill him." Brian said in a weak scratchy voice. He put his hand against the back of the couch trying to push himself up.   
  
"No, Brian, no." Michael placed his hand on Brian's chest to keep him from trying to sit up. It didn't take much force. Michael had never seen Brian so weak. So helpless. It took all his stregth to keep from sobbing openly infront of Brian.   
  
  
"I called your job and told them you'd be taking your 2 week vacation. I brought some of my things over and I'll sleep on the couch tonight. If you think you can make it to your bed."   
  
  
"Whats the Doc think about that?" Brian kept his eyes closed while talking. He seemed too weak to open them.   
  
  
"Dont worry about it. Are you hungry? Can I get you something?"   
  
  
"No mother. I just need some sleep." Brian readjusted himself on the couch.   
  
  
"Well ok, but I'll have to wake you every now and again. I called the doctor annonymously and he said that would be the best thing to do, incase of head inj-" he glanced at Brian and could tell he was dead asleep.   
  
  
Michael walked over to the bed, careful not to wake Brian. He pulled off his shoes and put them infront of the bed. He stopped for a moment to look at Brian, asleep on the couch. He was hurt badly and must have been in a lot of pain. His lip was cut in 3 places, and one of his eyes was nearly swollen shut. Michael had wrapped gause around his chest but there was no blood there, just bruises.   
  
  
Michael looked for a moment at the bed, then slipped the comforter off. He walked slowly back to Brian, and spread the comforter out on the floor beside him. He laid down on one side and wrapped the other around him. He lay there staring at Brian, as if taking his eyes off of him even for a second, would result in something horrible. Brian's hand slipped slowly off his chest and down to his side. Michael reached up and grabbed it, held it softly for a moment, then squeezed slightly as tears began to run down his cheeks. Brian was too weak to squeeze back, or respond at all.   



	3. Chapter 3

The smell of burnt pancakes woke Brian up the next morning.  
He could hear the happy chattering of Emmett a few feet away.  
He was going on about some guy he'd met in Torso. Brian didn't care.  
All he cared about was the blinding pain that was shooting through  
his head./p  
  
iFuck. What the Hell did I have to drink last night?/i he thought,  
forcing himself to sit up. The pain increased, and was   
accompanied by a stab across his abdomen, and Brian remembered.  
He could hear Michael shushing everyone at the counter in  
the kitchen, and his quickly ascending footsteps across  
the hardwood floor. /p  
  
p"Brian!" his friend cried, a little too loudly. Brian grabbed  
the sides of his head, wincing in pain. "Oh, sorry Brian." He   
was barely above a whisper now. "How are you feeling? Would you  
like some breakfast? I'd offer you pancakes, but they're not really  
fit to eat."/p  
  
pEmmett hmphed loudly from his perch on the stool, making  
it obvious that he was the one who had cooked them. Ted patted  
him lightly on the arm, "It's okay, hun." /p  
  
p"I don't want anything to eat. I just want to kick that guys ass.  
What time is it? I'm going to be late for work." He tried to stand but  
his legs were too weak, and he flopped back down on the couch. /p  
  
p"I told you Brian, I called your job and put in for your vacation.  
Now stop moving before you do anymore damage. What do you want to eat?"/p  
  
pBrian couldn't help but smile at his friend. He could always depend  
on Mikey for anything. That's why he liked him so much, whenever Brian  
needed him, he was there. Brian knew that was selfish, but he had to have  
someone in his life to take care of him. His parents certainly wouldn't,  
and ihe/i obviously couldn't take care of himself. This was one of  
those times that proved that. Mikey was his constent, his post. The one  
thing in which he could lean. His shoulder to cry on. And of course,   
Brian would always be there for Mikey. Even if he didn't always show it,  
he loved Michael. He'd been his best friend for fourteen years.   
Why shouldn't they help each other out?/p  
  
p "Just one of my shakes is fine.  
Really. I don't think I could hold anything down. 'Kay Ma?"/p  
  
pMichael didn't argue, just gave him a small smile and got up to make  
the drink. Ted walked over and sat next to Brian. He couldn't help but  
feel sorry for him. Nobody deserved to be treated the way he was.   
It was wrong, and the guy who did it should be punished for it.  
But Ted couldn't help but feel a small hint of glee, either. /p  
  
pAll of those times he'd ragged on him; for being old, for being without  
a man. For the pain he causes Michael everyday. He was almost happy  
that Brian got the shit knocked out of him. Almost./p  
  
p"So. How do you feel?" Ted asked, looking at the bruises and Brian's swollen  
lip. /p  
  
p"Like it must be for people over 30. How do you live like this?"/p  
  
piNot so much almost, anymore,/i Ted thought as he got up to get his  
coat. "Well I better get to work. I only have a few more years to get in  
enough money for my retirement. I don't want to be some old fucker depending  
on my best friend for the rest of my life. God. I'd be Brian. How could  
I live like that?"/p  
  
pIf Brian could have moved he probably would have thrown something at him then.  
But he couldn't, and he cursed himself for it. Instead, Ted got a shrill hiss  
from Michael to be quiet. /p  
  
pEmmett stifled a giggle and kissed Brian on the cheek, "I better get to work,  
too. We all know how Teddy likes his porn, and one of these days he might get  
fired." Ted stuck out his tongue and walked out of the loft, with Emmett following  
close behind. "Feel better sweety. Bye Mikey!" He waved goodbye to them both  
and closed the door./p   
  
Brian groaned, annoyed, and in much more pain than he would ever admit, on the couch.  
/pp  
Michael, thinking something was wrong and being the persistent yet caring person he is, ran over to see what was wrong.  
/pp  
"I'm fine! Just back off," Brian barked.  
/pp  
Stung from the harsh tone of his best friend, Michael backed away. A sadness crept into his dark brown eyes, but Brian didn't see it.  
/pp  
"I'm only trying to help, Brian. I know you're in pain," Michael chose his words carefully, not wanting to upset his friend any more.  
/pp  
"Yeah, well don't, okay? I don't need you to baby me. I'm capable of taking care of myself. Leave me the fuck alone. Go back to being the doc's little housewife, 'cause I don't need one."  
/pp  
Fighting back tears, Michael picked up hisjacket and walked out of Brian's loft without a word.  
/pp  
Instantly feeling guilty, Brian called out for Michael, but it was too late, he could hear the elevator making it's decent. He tried to get off the couch but the pain was too much for him. He fell back onto his sofa holding his side, "Shit!"  
/pp  
----  
/pp  
It had been three weeks since the attack on Brian Kinney. To anyone it would seem like he was fully recovered. But to Michael, who wasn't just anybody, he was his best friend of 15 years, things weren't exactly as they seemed. He had always known when something was bothering Brian, it was a result of being so close for so long, and it was his intuition that brought Michael to Brian's loft.   
/pp  
Knowing he wouldn't be home, he waited outside his door, hoping Brian was okay and safely on his way home.  
/pp  
----  
/pp  
Brian made his way home from Liberty Avenue. He had decided to walk for a little exercise, now winded and cursing himself for his decision.  
/pp  
He hadn't really wanted to go out anyway, but with Justin gone on some pre-college retreat, and the rest of his friends not knowing when to let up, he finally conceeded and went along with the boys.   
/pp  
He knew he probably looked a wreck, and he was probably the talk of Babylon. People wondering if perhaps Brian Kinney had finally lost his sex drive - or worse - he was now taken, having turned down every man that so much as glanced in his general direction. But he didn't care. He just wanted to go home.   
/pp  
It was only when Brian had seen the guy who had attacked him did he finally decide to leave. He casually said good night to his friends, hoping his voice didn't give away the panic that was coursing through him.  
/pp  
Now walking home he couldn't help but wonder if the guy had seen him leave. And if he had, would he follow?  
/pp  
"Get a hold of yourself, Kinney." He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked faster. "You're fucking 6 month old is more of a man than you're being."  
/pp  
Two blocks away from his apartment is when he started to hear the footsteps. Not wanting to take any chances, he started to run. Not hearing the familiar voice of his teenage lover calling him from behind.  
/pp  
----  
/pp  
Reaching into his pocket he took out a piece of paper and pen from work, Michael wrote a note for Brian to call him as soon as he got in. It was late, and Michael had to get up early.  
/pp  
"He's probably out fucking somebody anyway. I don't want to be around when he comes in with that smug, superior look on his face he always has after a night out."  
/pp  
Michael sighed at himself and climbed into the elevator.  
/pp  
Leaving the apartment building and turning the corner he saw a figure approach, running quickly. It only took a few seconds for him to realize it was Brian.   
/pp  
---/pp  
  
Rounding the corner, Brian looking behind him, slammed into somebody. Not being able to see in the darkness of the night, he blindly threw a punch and knocked Michael to the ground. Brian crouched down and grabbed him by the collar, ready to hit him again./pp  
  
"Brian!" Michael screamed his name, blood trickling from his nose. Realization dawned in Brian's eyes and he let go of his friend./pp  
  
"Mikey I.. I'm sorry." He crumbled to the ground broken and beaten./pp  
  
Michael took him into his arms and stroked his hair. Whispering that everything would be okay, he could feel the shuddering of Brian's body as he sobbed./pp  
  
"I'm scared, Michael," Brian managed to choke out the words. They took Michael by complete surprise. Never had Brian admitted such weakness. Not in all the 15 years he'd known him./pp  
  
"It's okay Brian. It'll be okay from now on. I'm here. I won't let anything hurt you. I'm right beside you." 


End file.
